A Hostage Situation
by LickleSoxy
Summary: Slade's fortune is much higher than he ever thought possible. When he takes Richard Grayson hostage in the desire to scare anyone away from attempting to stop him, things become much more complicated when he figures out why the Titans seem to be missing their masked leader.


**-o-**

**A Hostage Situation**

**Prologue**

Letting his gaze scan his immediate vicinity, Slade quickly assessed every option currently available to him. There were many that would lead to an encounter with the Titans, but that was not what he desired right now. The item he'd stolen from this museum was far too precious to him to risk being lost in the inevitable fight that would occur if he allowed the Titans to arrive here in an attempt to stop him. That meant he'd have to resort to a solution he didn't use often; one that he honestly didn't like using, since it required none of his actual skills to pull off. The tactic would remove any challenge from this heist, but that was what he wanted, so he was willing to do it.

Moving his hand to his waistband, Slade curled his fingers around the hunk of metal that was settled there. Pulling out the weapon from its confinement, he had to fight his irritation as he felt its weight in his hand. Watching the people around him panic and retreat - they'd been this way since they'd discovered a criminal was in their presence - Slade made easy work of shutting them up. Pointing the gun at the ceiling, he shot two bullets. The noise initially shocked most people into stunned silence, though there were a few who'd decided to take the gun shots as a sign to become even more hysterical.

Eye narrowing in annoyance, Slade shot once more, but this time his aim was at a woman who was trying to leave through the only exit to this room. The scream of agony that escaped her lips as the bullet tore through her leg had the desired effect - everyone became quiet as they turned to him with horror.

The woman collapsed to the floor, her mouth letting uncontrollable grunts and pants free as she clutched at her leg. It was possible the wound would be lethal, if she didn't get medical attention, and the help she desired was all dependent on whether or not the people in this place decided to co-operate or not.

"Sit down."

Without anger, the calm order was spoken at a volume just loud enough for everyone to hear it. Each person in the room obeyed without hesitation. Satisfied with this, Slade chose to ignore the whimpers and murmurs he could hear coming from random points in the room. Not caring to do anything about those pathetic noises, Slade also chose to pay no attention to the brave souls who'd crawled over to the injured woman in an attempt to offer some kind of comfort.

Taking a moment to check the device was still safely in his possession, Slade once again started to scan the faces of those surrounding him. Most couldn't even look him in the eye; those that did were utterly terrified. A sigh passed through his lips. It was only a matter of time before the Titans or the cops turned up, and the only way out of this place was through the front door. He'd have to keep a hostage - another thing he wasn't keen on doing.

Looking over the people again, Slade knew he'd have to pick one of them. Not really focusing on the men and women, Slade felt a sense of irritation fill him, until his attention was caught by an unexpected image. Staring at the young boy with surprise, Slade couldn't help but feel his curiosity pique as he took in the boy's expression. The teenager was glaring at him with a fierce hatred, and there wasn't a single touch of fear in his light eyes.

Intrigued by the confidence - or stupidity - radiating from the kid, Slade found himself walking over to the boy and kneeling down until they were at eye level. The boy's eyes narrowed. Allowing a smirk to rise on his lips, Slade, his curiosity growing more with every second, lifted his hand up and placed the barrel of the gun under the boy's chin, effectively making the boy's head tilt up a bit. This, surprisingly, only seemed to fuel the boy's rage. Feeling an odd sense of glee rise within him upon realising this, Slade gestured upwards with a nod of his head.

"Get up."

Slowly, almost defiantly, the boy pushed himself into a standing position. Following the movement, rising back up to his full height, Slade made sure to keep the gun in place in case this kid was foolish enough to try and be some kind of hero.

Inspecting the boy's handsome features, Slade was caught off guard at the sudden sense of familiarity that pulsed through him. He recognised the tenseness in the boy's shoulders, the slight trembling of the boy's form as he tried to contain his fury, but, unfortunately, Slade couldn't quite pin down where that recognition came from. Had he met this young kid before? Shrugging off that sense of familiarity for the moment - he'd question it at a later stage - he leant forwards slightly so he was invading the boy's personal space.

"What's your name, boy?"

The boy swallowed, though it was the flash of reluctance Slade could see in his eyes that caught Slade's attention. This was becoming interesting. What on Earth could make this kid hesitant to reveal something as simple as his name?

Waiting patiently for a few more seconds, Slade watched as the boy blew out a small, annoyed sigh.

"Richard."

Slade's eye widened. Of _course_: this boy was Richard Grayson, the ward of one Mister Bruce Wayne. That was why he had felt recognition - he'd seen the teenager's face on the news and in magazines countless times while he'd been staying in Gotham. Why the boy had suddenly decided to come here, Slade didn't know, nor did he particularly care. It didn't explain why Richard's attitude and reactions to Slade's presence were so familiar, and _those_ were the things Slade wanted to understand.

That could wait, though.

Slade had needed to use a single person as a decoy to get out of this place without interruption, since he required leverage in case the Titans tried to track him down. And, it seemed, he'd just found the perfect hostage.

**To Be Continued**

**-o-**


End file.
